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The piece evolved as I was drawing the dragon's details. I kept thinking of the cardinals that I was seeing on my bird feeders at home - that's where the dragon's red color and dark spots around the eyes came from. From that thought, I leapt to the idea that a catholic cardinal could be riding him. A dragon in the service of the church sounded interesting enough, and why not, religion is a strong element in the Spawn universe. It gave me a lot of opportunity for ornamentation and the motivation to saw down the dragon's horns and chain him to the monastery foundation.

Here's the first scribble. Photoshop:

The drawing gets more refined:

I painted a handful of random watercolor washes on paper, and scanned them at high resolution to use as my painting base in Photoshop. I think it gave the piece a stronger natural media feel than the usual brush textures I use.

And here's the piece at half-way. The first half of a painting is fast and fun, the rest is just massaging details. Blah.

Wow, love the concept, the colors and the tecniques! Nice work here, Chuck.
I really like the frame, the only thing that bother me is that strong white border, seems a little too regular and bright, but it's just my opinion.

Grade-fucking-A. Sweet concept, and thanks for the progression, I like the digital/realwatercolor/digital moves. Nice.

Look, you know what I mean. You take a bunch of people who donít seem any different from you or me, but when you add them all together you get this sort of huge raving maniac with national borders and an anthem.

Gotta say - honestly, I haven't been that crazy about the stuff you've posted on CA before - stylistically that is (I know you draw like a madman)- and not a big fan of dragons...but this piece is awesome, especially each of the steps down to the beginning doodle that can very well stand on their own...

Chuck, this piece of work is certainly an eye catcher. BEAUTIFUL. The colors really pop out at you, and there is plenty of detail to draw the eye in. Interesting way people who create artwork come up with their ideas isnít it. I liked hearing how looking out at the birdbath and seeing the cardinal got the idea stated for you. I love hearing stories like that.

Youíre one of the winners of the McF. Art contest! Great! The work above is certainly awesome. Keep up the cool creations J

Great work there Chuck. I really appreciate the addition of traditional media. I have been kicking around ways of including all the things I learned in school into the digital realm. Great process and final product.

"When a line is placed near another line something inevitable happens. Between them no longer is mere space but a sudden existence. we can 'see between the lines.' And if the lines are placed with sensitivity, they not only stand together but they belong together."~~Jefferey Jones

ICH - Yeah, you could be right. I liked the pop of the white border line, but it's close to being too distracting. Oh well, it didn't seem to hurt me in the contest. Thanks for the words!

Beelow - Hey Beelow. I haven't seen you since EON, how've things been? Are you going to do the Strange Behavior challenge? I probably will, but no ideas yet.

BohemianChaos - Who, me? Thank you.

Kek - No problem. I'm glad you liked seeing the WIPs.

MikeCorriero - Aaaaah yeaah. It's going to be the cover of PS CS4, take that! No. Of course it's not. But if you're impressed, that's good enough for me.

BFWingard3 - THX!

Kilbourne - Yeah, sometimes I scan in paper drawings, sometimes I draw completely in PS. It's nice to be able to change gears if I'm not getting anywhere, and just try a different approach. It gets me through drawer's block.

Rayph - Thank you, sir.

Ellingsworth - No, enough posting, more ass patting. Thank you.

Chupacabra - Yeah, I need to try reigning in the saturation on a piece and doing something more monochromatic. Thanks for the kudos.

Darkside - Thanks!

spudstudios - Thank you.

Bralt Hannicart - Cool, I'm glad you like.

Rascar Capac - When I first read your comment, I said out loud "Oh hell no, that better not be MY Hovig" (ask Amber). But you went to ArtCenter and, really, how many Hovigs can there be? Thanks for letting me know that you're still alive and congratulations on a successful career. New Zealand? Really? We'll have to chat offline some time.

MoonVisionStudio - Thanks Jose!

Borilius - I'm glad you appreciated the steps.

bhanu - Yeah, but I don't mean to sound misleading. I win a toy from one of their existing lines. Some people have interpreted my words to mean that they're going to make a toy based on my painting, but that's not part of the deal. I wish.

Bruce Pluto - Very glad to hear that you find the background info interesting. A lot of times seeing a piece of an animal, either in the yard or on my HDTV, sparks some kind of idea.

Mechanicalstrings - They sure are. Now I could do a dragon inspired by a squirrel or Blue Jays. Thanks so much!

Chuck, your style is so refreshing every time you post something... That mix of traditional and digital media is so nicely done. Seeing your step-by-step of that COW piece was mind-blowing. I'm not into the whole dragon thing, but this one's awesome! Waiting for your next post now

Simply stunning. The palette and details are remarkable, and the concept is a very unique take on something as common as dragons. I found the WIP progress shots to be very helpful, though I do have some questions. Namely, how many layers did u have during each WIP screenshot? (and what were the various layers). Did you merge the watercolor layer with the background and keep the dragon on a separate layer, or was this a one layer masterpiece?